Did He Kill His Wife?

July 31, 2013

Kelly says on August 2, 2011, he found his wife, Margaret, dead in their bathtub. Police ruled her death an accidental drowning — but Margaret’s friends, Nancy and Christine, say they think Kelly murdered her. Kelly admits his marriage wasn’t perfect but insists he did not kill his wife — and he agrees to take a polygraph test. Don’t miss the results!

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Kelly and Margaret

Kelly says when he met Margaret in 2001, she quickly fell in love with him — and two weeks later, he moved in with her. He admits that his feelings for Margaret, whom he called “Peggy,” grew over time, and the couple married four years later. He adds that their marriage was “different.”

“She wanted to spoil me,” Kelly says, adding, “What guy doesn’t like to be spoiled?” He admits that he wasn’t the perfect husband and that there were bumps along the road in their relationship.

Kelly claims that Margaret was a drinker and started taking painkillers after breaking her arm in an accident. He also says she would constantly accuse him of having affairs, which he denies. “I never had affairs,” he says.

On August 2, 2011, Kelly says he returned home from a golf outing and found Margaret dead in their bathtub. Police ruled her death an accidental drowning, but Margaret’s childhood friends, Christine and Nancy, say they believe she was murdered by Kelly.

Kelly says he was immediately interrogated by police and cleared of any wrongdoing. He also says he passed a polygraph test, given by the New York State Police. “I’m no murderer,” he exclaims. “I love my wife. I miss my wife — every day.”

Kelly describes what happened on the day Margaret died. “She was in the tub, face down.”

Kelly says Margaret was mad at him on that fateful day. Does he recall what she was upset about? Plus, why didn’t he touch her or try to revive her?

Nancy and Christine

“I have never, in my life, hated anybody as much as I hate Kelly,” Christine says. “I think he’s a sociopath. He’s a liar, a thief, an abuser. He’s a bully. He’s an opportunist.”

“He killed her,” Nancy exclaims. “Put her out, snuffed her, erased her.” She continues, “I think that on the day of Margaret’s murder, Kelly came home to get his golf stuff — Margaret was napping — I personally think that he smothered her, rendering her unconscious.” She says she believes Kelly placed Margaret in the bathtub and staged the scene with pill bottles to make it look like an accidental drowning.

“I believe [Kelly] took Margaret for everything that she had,” Christine says. “We miss her a lot.”

Kelly, who has not seen Nancy or Christine in nearly two years, says that the women have been constantly harassing him, and he believes they want him dead.

Kelly under Attack?

Kelly says a few weeks ago, when he was alone at his girlfriend, Laurie’s, house, two young men came walking up the driveway and asked if he could spare any gasoline. Kelly says while grabbing a gas can in the garage, a "caustic" liquid was thrown in his face. “When help showed up, they said it was hot chocolate,” he explains, adding that in reality, it was something more dangerous. “If I hadn’t gone to the hospital, I would’ve died.” He says he was treated in the burn unit for “a chemical burn” to the face.

“I think Nancy paid some little schmuck 500 bucks … to come up here and splash me,” he claims. He says he fears for his life and is now protecting himself by keeping a loaded shotgun at home. “I’m not going to go down without a fight,” he says. “If they come in, I’m sending them back out in a body bag. They’ve already made an attempt on my life — what’s next?”

Do Nancy and Christine want Kelly dead? And, were they behind the attack on Kelly?

Death Investigation: Expert Opinion

Homicidal-Drowning Investigator Andrea Zaferes, who worked on the Drew Peterson murder case and was contacted by Nancy and Christine, says she believes Margaret was murdered. “The scene looked very staged to me,” Zaferes says. “It looked unnatural, and there were signs of struggle. You had red flags — staging, altered scene and signs of struggle.” She says when the police entered the home, they assumed there was a drowning. “There’s no medical test for drowning,” she continues. “If she had been found dead in the basement, it would’ve been a completely other scene. It would’ve been handled a little differently.”

Zaferes says she hopes the New York State Police will reopen the investigation into Margaret’s death.

“This case has more red flags than some of the others we’ve worked on.”

Kelly admits he has a history of domestic violence through the year 2000. He says he completed a 9-month anger management course. “I would much rather pick up my stuff and leave then to fight or kill someone,” he says.

“I am a strong believer in law and order, and the law enforcement community; and I am a strong believer in our court system,” Dr. Phil says in closing. “It’s not a perfect system, but I’m going to tell you, it’s the best system in the world. And you don’t want to get involved in vigilante justice.”

“If you think you’re right, use the system,” he continues. “Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so you might need to write letters; you might need to do things to draw attention — to turn on a bright light over a dispute or a situation that you think needs further attention.”